Owen Gleiberman of Variety calls Den of Thieves 2: Pantera a satisfying impersonation of a high-end crime film, saying that Gerard Butler is good enough to lift “a piece of pulp so it almost seems like a real movie.” The critic continues:

Gerard Butler and O'Shea Jackson Jr. are back in "Den of Thieves 2: Pantera" for more white-knuckled heist action. The sequel puts Big Nick back on the path of Donnie, who has managed to get embroiled in the world of international diamond theft.

I wasn’t actively writing about movies when Den of Thieves came out in 2018, so it was one I opted to skip at the time. However, I became aware that a bit of a cult following started to grow around the Gerard Butler heist movie,